I am excited to announce that The National Herald has given Hellenic Genealogy Geek the right to reprint articles that may be of interest to our group.

------------------------------

-----------------------

Even a causal consideration
of Greek-American monuments
reveals they fall into distinct patterns.
Obviously, the type of
monument, reason for the dedication,
person or persons for
whom the monument is intended,
and/or the person/organizations
involved with establishing/building
the monument
all influence the final public object.
Outside of the material cost
involved with the construction
and placement of any such
physical object, local politics always
plays a role.

Following this last line of
thought, numerous monuments
around the nation have seen
dedication to local Greek-American
politicians and/or (what
used to be called) public servants.
Obviously, the very existence
of these public monuments
are daily reminders of the
persons/events/ideas they are
meant to represent. Just as obviously,
we most often walk past
these same structures absorbed
in our own concerns with little
thought to the reasons, let alone
the persons, these public tributes
are meant to immortalize.

No complete listing of Greek American
politicians exists let
alone one that includes the
broader considerations of public
officials. Given the tentative nature
of any such compilation I
will present here only those
Greek-American public servants
who worked on the city or state
levels.

Let me begin with an enduring
mystery. I have often heard
that there is/was a public school
in Louisiana named in honor of
Alexander Dimitry (1805-
1883). But I have never been
able to find any concrete documentation
on the existence of
an Alexander Dimitry public
school. True, Prof. Dimitry was
the very first appointed state superintendent
of public education
in Louisiana and by all accounts
was a superb
administrator and innovator in
that position. But I have no evidence
of any public building
named after this esteemed gentleman,
politician and renowned
scholar.

Helen Boosalis (1919-
2009) began her political career
in 1959 as a three time member
of the Lincoln City Council becoming
in 1975 the first woman
mayor of Lincoln, NE. After her
tenure as mayor, Boosalis was
appointed director of the Nebraska
Department of Aging until
1986. Today, a number of areas
and buildings are dedicated
to the memory of this dedicated
public figure. The Helen Boosalis
Trail is a 3.6 mile preserve
that extends from S. 17th St.
and Burnham St. and State
Route 2 along Old Cheney Rd.
in Lincoln that serves as a connective
link to a wider network
of such set-aside paths. The Helen
Boosalis Park Indoor Range
in Lincoln is a practice range for
both archery and firearms.

Adeline Jay Geo-Karis
(1918-2008) was born in
Greece and brought to the
United States when she was
four years old. Geo-Karis “was
a Republican politician and a
member of the Illinois Senate
for the 31st District, where she
served for over 25 years. Prior
to her election as Senator, she
was in the Illinois House of Representatives
from 1973 to 1979.
Known simply as "Geo" to her
constituents, she was a popular
politician in Lake County, IL for
many years. Known for her nononsense
attitude and her ability
to work across party lines,
she also served for a time as
Mayor of Zion.” Today, the Adeline
Jay Geo-Karis Illinois Beach State Park a 4,160 acre park in
Zion honors memory.

Nicholas J. Melas (1923-
March 15, 2013) was elected
in 1962 to the Board of Commissioners
of the Metropolitan
Water Reclamation District of
Greater Chicago. Melas was reelected
five times, serving for
30 years; the last 18 as President
of the Board. The Nicholas
J. Melas Centennial Fountain
and Water Arc is located on the
north bank of the Chicago river
(near the intersection of East
River Drive and North McClurg
Court in what today is the River
North neighborhood). Every
hour the fountain shoots a "cannon"
of water across to the other
side of the river.

Another type of memorial
area is named in honor of
Melas. Between the two Illinois
communities of Arlington
Heights and Mt Prospect is a 70-
acre site off Central Road between
Busse Road and Northwest
Highway. An agreement
between these two communities and the Metropolitan Water
Reclamation Dist. of Greater
Chicago (MWRD) has resulted
in a complex of buildings and
public facilities which contains
a large storm water detention
basin and pumping structures
as well as four baseball and softball
fields in an area, now,
known as Melas Park in Mount
Prospect. Mt. Prospect village
trustees recently extended a
lease with the MWRD over
maintenance of Melas Park until
the year 2051.

John P. Rousakis (1929-
2000) was the first Greek-American
mayor of Savannah GA.
Rousakis was first elected in
1965 to the Chatham County
Commission and eventually became
Vice-Chairman of that institution.
Rousakis is Savannah's
longest-serving mayor, whose
tenure extended from 1970 to
1986. Rousakis is credited with
saving the Savannah river front.
Aptly enough, then, today the
John P. Rousakis Riverfront
Plaza is “located right along the
shoreline of the Savannah River
next to the heat of the old town
Plaza offers one of the most
pleasant of leisurely strolling areas
along with exception views
of the river. It is also the location
of the Savannah City Docks
equipped with over 300 linear
feet of public floating docks, and
nearly 800 linear feet of public
bulkheads (yelp.com)."

George Soumas (1915-
1994) was three-time mayor of
Perry, IA. Two memorials have
been established in his honor.
The George Soumas Memorial
is a “life-size bronze statue of
George Soumas is located in
Soumas Court, in downtown
Perry, Iowa, near the old Hotel
Patee...The downtown courtyard
is situated between two buildings on Willis Avenue. Both
entrances to the courtyard have
archways of metal sculptures by
Albert Paley. In the middle of
the courtyard is located the lifesize
statue of George Soumas,
three-time mayor and war hero,
seated at one of the cafe tables.
The piece was sculpted by
Christopher B. Bennett (waymarking.com).”

Next is the George P. Soumas
Memorial Highway “Joining together,
the cities along Iowa 141
between Granger and Perry petitioned
the Iowa Department of
Transportation to rename the
roadway after George P.
Soumas. The request was
granted and the highway was
renamed The George P. Soumas
Memorial Highway in early
2013...Soumas worked as chair
of the community volunteer project
to encourage the widening
of Iowa 141 from a two-lane
highway to a four-lane highway,
which was completed in 1997.
He was involved in many community
organizations and activities
(iowa.gov).”

I was surprised to learn that
each one of these monuments
can be seen on YouTube. All of
these monuments dedicated to
the accomplishments and memory
of its designee can be seen,
sometimes more than once, by
name. Only with Soumas' statue
do you have to search for Perry
Iowa to see his court and monument
included with those others
of this Iowan town. No one
knows the full roster of American
public servants who
are/were of Greek descent. And
so it very possible that there are
more monuments dedicated to
other Greek-American public
servants than I have cited here.